Visionary, Sue-Ann Rosch had a dream for education in her area of the Bronx. A passion for changing the environment in which children were struggling to learn. Faced with a graduation rate well below national standards and an attendance rate of about fifty per cent, she knew something had to change. She sought a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to start a public school with a very small student body. Competing with nearly 100 schools, she tirelessly worked to realize her dream, seeing her efforts pay dividends in the form of a start-up grant. Eight years have passed, and as principal, she intimately witnesses the needs of each of the 360 students, in order to make informed decisions to address issues which may arise. Ninety-eight per cent of the senior class was accepted by a college, testament to the passion of the staff assembled at this school.
I was afforded the honor to speak at the commencement ceremonies of this special school by Lonice Eversley. Randy Pedro, a gentle giant of a man, who teaches religious studies at Fordham Prep School, knows Lonice and requested I talk to the graduates at the ceremony. What an honor it was to help send-off these bright young stars to a college in the Fall. Congratulations! Class of 2010 graduates; Community School for Social Justice, The Bronx, NY.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 11:42 pm and is filed under Kindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.